Boris Bunnik switches over from the dystopic electro of his Versalife project to the Conforce alias by which he's better known. Classic Delsin material here. "Nomad" sets the tone with ominous techno drones, an odd kick meter, elastic bass and big-room creepiness. "Receiver" veers closer to classic Detroit techno tropes, with insistent bells providing the atmosphere over a telltale tom. The patient and precise production of the ep’s opener is still intact, but here it's bolstered by subtle hi-hat drops that feel momentous in context. B-side "Last Anthem’s" rugged kick drum signals this 12”s diversity, ringing in the most floor-friendly track on the record. Closer "Embrace" is a deep, dub techno track with just a sliver of melody, achieving Chain Reaction-worthy hypnosis.

Laid back, eastern-tinged acid from the German producer, whose huge “Moon Oddity” (sensing a theme?) on Dial deep-house imprint Laid placed the producer alongside Tin Man in his ability to coax new, emotional sound out of classic equipment. The title track uses a busy 303 bassline against a deep Juno progression, the overall effect not unlike a more narcotic version of Max D’s Cassette Arabic (L.I.E.S.)

A pulverizing, apocalyptic opening gives way to a menacing bass excursion, expertly putting on the frighteners dubwise, before dissolving ambiguously into the amazing, extended vocal treatment -- a thread of eerie, garbled sublimity, like a kind of black-magic plainsong. Rabih Beaini aka Morphosis' epic remix is more spaced and spooked, the dread of the original version in check but still body-rocking and driving out of its silences.

RVDS presents with "Moon Oddity" the real house music soundtrack to a weekend's journey into outer space. This eccentric 12" is the result of playing his synths and drum computers virtually like no other. Dance music has never been so quirky, wacky, jacky -- far out deep inside.

Skudge make raw stripped down techno for dark warehouses. They’ve taken the dance world by storm and Phantom makes for their highly anticipated debut album. Elias & Gustaf took some time to talk about the album and the aesthetic behind their project.
How & when did the production partnership come about?

First time we met was through Gustaf''s cousin, that is a friend of Elias; we didn't speak much then but later on we caught up when Gustaf booked Elias for a gig at his club at a bar in Stockholm. We changed our MSN addresses. We started to chat, discussed music and shared tracks that we had made, and g[ave] feedback on them. We found out we had a common taste in electronic music and decided that we should make some stuff together in Elias' studio, just for fun.

Was there a music scene there in Stockholm that you grew up in and informed you?

Elias: I grew up with techno with in the 90's and used to go to a warehouse club called Docklands and a lot of raves in the forests and industrial areas.

Gustaf: There w[ere] not a lot of good parties in Stockholm when I discovered electronic music, so of course, I got interested in arranging clubs/parties.
There is mysteriousness behind Skudge. Is this intentional?

No, it's not; we want people to focus on the music.
There seems to be a strict analog approach both in music production and artwork, etc. Explain your philosophy in regards to both.

Since his debut anthem "HYPH MNGO" was dropped in 2009, JOY ORBISON (now JOY O) has been making waves globally. Taking a more straightforward, classic house approach, "WADE IN" has rolling, acidic basslines and "JELS" is full of uplifting melodies.

With his first release on his co-owned Smallville label, Lawrence, aka Peter M. Kersten, celebrates another tribute to more than 20 years of house music. Beyond his club influences, Kersten was mainly driven by slow Detroit jazz from the early '70s and classical minimal music which colors the palette of this EP. With "Sorry Sun," Lawrence invites us on another adventure into the miracle of a cozy dancefloor, letting only the music shine and the people close their eyes and smile.

Resurrection is the follow up to the reissue of Virgo 4's S/T album, which was released by Rush Hour in 2010. This album is a collection of unreleased tracks that were produced over a 6 year period between 1984 and 1990 in various home studios around Chicago.

Resurrection really shows the the rich, diverse and unique quality of Virgo 4, which leaves you wondering what impact they would have made on the (Chicago) house scene if their music had been released back in the day.

Merl Sanders took some time out to discuss the Resurrection of the Virgo 4 project. Our conversation follows below.

We met in grammar school, about 4th grade or so. It was known that I played drums and a couple other guys played guitar or bass, and Eric and I along with two other friends started playing together. My parents had moved into an apartment building back then from our house and the building had a large basement laundry area. So we used to go down there to practice and the landlord would always come eventually and kick us out for bein' too loud! At that time I didn't even actually have a drum set; the only time I played a real set was in Church! I think I was probably the first bucket boy (kids who drum on plastic buckets to make money on the streets). At 9 or 10 or somethin' I began coming up with ways to make my mom's tupperware sound like a Tama set I was dreaming to have! You know how stereos back then had those big plastic domes as covers for them? Well, that was my kick drum! Sounded pretty good!
(Photo @ Right - Katherine Nguyen)